Implants, such as orthopaedic implants or stents, in a patient may become infected after implantation. For example, infectious cells, such as bacteria cells, may form around the implant or attach to the implant. In addition, infectious cells may form a layer of material or biofilm over themselves to protect the infectious cells from medicaments, such as antibiotics, meant to kill or disrupt the infectious cells. To treat the infected area, health-care providers often remove the implant, apply a medicament, such as an antibiotic, to the infected area, and re-implant the implant.
Health-care providers can supplement removing the implant by introducing a medicament systemically, such as providing the patient with a medicament in pill form that the patient orally ingests, or by injecting a medicament directly into, or in proximity to, the infected area. In some instances, a medicament is attached to the implant and released when exposed to body tissue after re-implantation.
Such treatment procedures are sometimes unsuccessful due to complications or infections that return at a later time. Additional infections may also occur when the health-care provider removes and re-implants the implant. Physiologic phenomenon, such as infectious cells forming a biofilm that protects the cells from a medicament released just after implantation, may prevent or inhibit a medicament delivered by such treatment procedures from effectively treating the infection. Furthermore, a medicament delivery system that releases a medicament at the same time, or shortly after, implantation may not effectively treat the infected area or infectious cells that develop at a period of time after implantation.
Accordingly, a need exists for a medicament delivery system and method that can release a medicament at a time selected by a health-care professional. A need further exists for a medicament delivery method that can release a medicament at a selected time without requiring the removal of an implant. A need further exists for a medicament delivery system and method that provides for delivery a medicament at a customizable time and/or rate selected by a health-care professional.